"Surprisingly, Undercity has as many enforcers patrolling as the North City," Jayce couldn't help but shake his head in amazement.
On their way to the Benso General Store, the duo encountered pairs of fully armed enforcers patrolling the streets at regular intervals.
So far, they had seen more than twenty enforcers.
"How big of a commotion did you and Caitlyn cause last time? Is it really as exaggerated as the newspapers say?" Jayce inquired.
"The newspapers exaggerate too much; it was Mrs. Cassandra's idea to suppress other families," Li Lin shrugged helplessly. "Mainly because Caitlyn has a special status. If it were an attack on an ordinary family, there wouldn't be such a fuss."
"True."
Mentioning Caitlyn, Jayce suddenly realized that he hadn't seen her all morning, and she usually didn't go hunting so early.
"By the way, do you know where Caitlyn went today? Haven't seen her around."
"Oh, she went for a ride on her bicycle early in the morning," Li Lin casually replied.
"Bicycle? Did you already invent it?"
"Surprised? It's just a matter of having hands, isn't it?"
As both genius inventors familiar with each other's personalities, their conversation was relatively casual.
Jayce retorted with a slightly red face, "Your bicycle lacks any technical depth; there's nothing to be amazed about."
"I mean, Mrs. Cassandra wasn't planning to reveal this invention until Progress Day evening, right?"
"If Caitlyn wants it, then I certainly can't refuse," Li Lin glanced at Jayce, teasing, "What about you? Do you want one too? Should I make one for you as well?"
"Well..."
Jayce was about to refuse when Li Lin quickly changed the subject, "You've seen the blueprints; if you want to make one yourself, it's not that difficult."
Jayce's face darkened.
Why do I feel like punching you?
For the rest of the time, the two chatted aimlessly.
Upon reaching the Benso General Store, they peered inside through the window.
The store was still empty, with no customers in sight.
As soon as they entered, Benso, sitting at the counter, didn't bother to look up from the mechanical device in his hands and greeted them nonchalantly, "Welcome, we have everything here. Just let me know what you want, and I'll give you the price."
Your business isn't doing well, and with this service attitude, who would come to buy things from you...
Li Lin felt utterly helpless.
"Cough..." He cleared his throat slightly. "Benso, where is the crystal I ordered?"
Upon hearing this familiar voice, Benso's expression changed slightly. He immediately stood up, put down what he was holding, and put on a smiling face, "Oh, it's Mr. Li Lin. Welcome! The crystal you wanted, I got it a long time ago, and it's been well preserved."
Then, he turned his gaze to the back room, "Ekko! Quickly bring the box from my room!"
"I got it!" A young boy's tender voice came from inside.
Subsequently, Benso squeezed his bulky body out from behind the counter, rubbing his palms together and smiling at Li Lin, "Mr. Li Lin, do you know? It wasn't easy to get the crystal for you. My subordinates specifically went to the Upper City for it, and almost got caught by enforcers..."
Li Lin didn't care about Benso's process of acquiring the crystal; it was most likely just him bragging. So, he waved his hand to interrupt him, "How many did you get in total?"
Benso's face stiffened, and he awkwardly extended two fingers, "Two, two pieces..."
"Why so few?"
"As far as recent circumstances go, it's already quite good! But I also collected quite a few fragments. If we piece them together, we should get about three more."
The fragments have very little residual energy, and there might not even be any energy at all. They aren't of much use to me...
Li Lin frowned slightly but soon relaxed, "Alright, two pieces are two pieces. I'll pay you for the fragments as well, but let me check the quality first."
Saying that, Li Lin remembered Vander's instructions and took out the note he had written, handing it to Benso, "I went to The Last Drop before coming here, and Vander asked me to give you this."
"Vander?" Bensol accepted the note, puzzled, and slowly unfolded it to read its contents.
At this moment, a boy with black skin, white hair, and a small figure dragged a large wooden box out from the back room and arrived in front of them.
Li Lin gazed at the little boy with curiosity. Although he had heard Ekko's name last time he was here, he was under the influence of anesthesia and in a semi-conscious state.
By the time he regained consciousness, Ekko had already gone home. This was actually Li Lin's first time meeting Ekko in person.
Ekko, a prodigy of future Zaun, could invent the "Z-Type Drive Device" with just a fragment of the Primordial Crystal, possessing extraordinary time-reversal abilities.
Li Lin's scrutinizing gaze made Ekko a bit uncomfortable and nervous. "Uh, well, it's this," Ekko said, handing over the box.
Before Li Lin could crouch down to open the box, Jayce, who had been silent all along, impatiently pushed him aside. "Let me see!"
"Why are you in such a hurry?" Li Lin said, somewhat speechless, stepping aside. "The crystal won't grow wings and fly away."
Ignoring him completely, Jayce hastily removed the breathing filter from his face and quickly opened the lid of the wooden box.
Two flawless and intact hex crystals, deep blue and without any flaws, lay quietly on a layer of thick, soft cotton.
As the dazzling azure light quickly appeared in the air, Jayce's eyes became intense. He picked up one crystal, lovingly rubbing its not-so-smooth surface, murmuring non-stop, "So this is the Hex crystal? It's really top-notch!"
Beside them, Benso, who had finished reading the note, noticed Jayce's expression and couldn't help but exclaim, "Uh... so you guys are really friends?"
Li Lin smiled and retorted, "What else would we be?"
"I thought you were rival families competing against each other," Benso said awkwardly, scratching his bald head, not saying anything more.
Li Lin casually picked up another crystal, and its information flashed in his mind:
[Hex Crystal (Common): A mass-produced, unstable micro-energy core developed through runic alchemy and chemical engineering. Low energy supply efficiency, prone to explosions upon impact.]
[Attributes (for mechanical use): 200 energy]
[Ability Effects]
[Passive·Unstable Substance: Produces a powerful explosion upon severe impact]
[Passive·Energy Core: When used as the core energy supply device, provides an additional 250 energy boost to mechanical creations]
[Passive·Recycle and Reuse: When crystal energy is depleted, it can be recycled for recharging (requires Hextech Tech Crystal synthesis device)]
Comparing it to my upgraded version of Hextech Energy Crystal, this common crystal's attributes are inferior by more than a star and a half...
While Li Lin was contemplating, Jayce, from the bottom of the box, pulled out crystals of various sizes, with dull colors.
Li Lin glanced casually and shook his head. Although a few pieces surpassed the quality of the ones Jayce bought last time, most of the crystals had completely run out of energy and were just scraps.
These should have been scavenged from the mechanical devices in the Upper City's discarded garbage dump.
Li Lin took out a money pouch from his bag and threw it to Benso. "There are 10 gold coins inside. Keep them for me whenever you come across crystals. I'll take a look later."
Unexpectedly, Benso returned the money pouch to him, saying, "No, you're Vandal's friend. I can't take this money."
"Did Vandal write that in the letter?" Li Lin laughed helplessly. "Just take it. Even close brothers need to settle scores. Besides, I'm not short of this money."
Forcing the money pouch into Benso's hands, Li Lin's gaze focused on Ekko. "But, well..."
Feeling Li Lin's intense gaze, Ekko couldn't help but shiver. Subconsciously, he wanted to run into the inner room, but Li Lin intercepted him faster.
"You're Ekko, right? Don't be afraid; I'm not a bad person."
Ekko dared not look directly at Li Lin, looking somewhat frightened as he turned to Benso.
"Mr. Li Lin, Ekko is just helping me with odd jobs. He even assisted in treating your wounds last time. I believe he hasn't offended you in any way..."
Benso felt a bit awkward and didn't understand what Li Lin was trying to do.
Li Lin waved his hand. "I just see this little guy as exceptionally talented. He's a one-in-a-million genius. I want to ask if he'd be willing to be my apprentice."
Upon hearing this, Jayce, Ekko, and Benso all looked at Li Lin in confusion.
"Huh?" x3
(End of this chapter)